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North Wales police commissioner backs calls to protect service animals
PCC Arfon Jones (left) with volunteer dog welfare visitors Marie Jones and Claire Vickers.

Scheme launched to monitor police dog welfare

North Wales’ police and crime commissioner, Arfon Jones, has backed calls for new legislation to make it an offence to attack service animals.

Mr Jones said that it is wrong that police dogs and horses “risk harm on a regular basis” and that “legislation should be amended to give them the protection they deserve.”

His comments come after the proposed Service Animals Offences Bill - also known as Finn’s Law - was delayed after the government made an objection. To date, a petition calling for change has been signed by more than 127,000 people.

Finn’s Law was launched by PC Dave Wardell after he and his police dog Finn were stabbed during an armed robbery. The Hertfordshire officer suffered an injury to his hand, whilst Finn received multiple knife wounds to his head and chest.

The attacker was charged with actual bodily harm for the injuries to Mr Wardell. However, he was only charged with criminal damage for almost killing Finn.

Under current legislation, police animals such as dogs and horses are considered property and ‘criminal damage’ is currently the only available charge for someone who attacks one.

“Police dogs and horses play an important role in a whole range of areas like crowd control, drug detection, searching for missing people and catching offenders. It is wrong that these animals are treated as equipment because they are key members of the frontline policing team," said Mr Jones.

"They risk harm on a regular basis to keep their handlers and the public safe and legislation should be amended to give them the protection they deserve.”

Mr Jones has established a scheme to monitor the welfare of police dogs in North Wales. Under the scheme, volunteer dog welfare visitors make monthly unannounced visits to view dog training sessions or visit dog handlers whilst out on patrol.

“It is important we have independent checks and controls in place to ensure good animal welfare standards are robustly maintained. We must ensure our dogs are happy and well cared for,” said Mr Jones.

“What we need to do now is to put Finn’s Law on the statute book so we plug this unfair gap in the law. It is only right and proper that service animals are afforded the same level of protection as domestic animals.”

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.